PAGE h   THE CATS'  PAUSE, DECEMBER 31, 1977
(U S. Watt
We 9ll Be Ready For Notre Dame
Question: This was the second straight good game for Kentucky. Are the Wildcats rounding into the top form you've expected of them?
Coach Hall: "We played a fine ball game against a fine team in beating Iona College. We could not stop their man-to-man offense, though. They played extremely well and were very sharp. They came to play and did not withhold the ball. When they came from seven points down early in the game and took that one lead, they proved what kind of a team they have and who they are capable of beating. Our zone bothered them and turned the game for us. We played it well and got a lot of deflections."
Question: It was the second unit which upped the four-point lead in the first half to the 18-point half time margin. Any comments?
Coach Hall: "The subs played real well. In the first half, James Lee, Jay Shidler and Chuck Aleksinas had 21 of our 44 points and that's an indication of the work we were getting from the subs. Aleksinas helped us tremendously when he went in and added more strength to the boards. He was moving the ball and scoring well. Lee's four baskets also were a big boost."
Question: Did Aleksinas see the game as something special since he was going against Jeff Ruland who was recruited so heavily by Kentucky?
Did he think about this game a little more than the others, maybe?
Coach Hall: "I think he looks to every game like this. Chuck played real well, and Ruland played well and lived up to his billings. He had a super game and is an outstanding basketball player. He certainly didn't play like a freshman out there."
Question: Do you think Ruland made a mistake by going to Iona instead of Kentucky?
Coach Hall: "No, I wouldn't say that. He's close to home and I'm sure that's what he wants. He's on a fine ball club and they have a good coach in Jim Valvano."
Question: Kentucky seems to be near the point of reaching a peak now. Is that true and is this the time you want that to happen?
Coach Hall: "We played awfully well against Iona. Dwane Casey played a very fine game. La Von came in and helped us a lot and Jay came on to play well. Our bench looked so much better. Robey still didn't have a great night, Phillips didn't have a great night but we still played outstanding basketball."
Question: Was the Iona game the type of game you need to prepare your club for the game coming up this weekend with Notre Dame at Louisville?
Coach Hall: "You can never tell.
Sometimes you need a scare going into a game like "Notre Dame. But we have an eight-day lay-off before the Notre Dame game and this game was a good one to let them go home for Christmas with. Then we'll come back and get ready for Notre Dame. We've got plenty of time and we know how good Notre Dame is. We know what the rivalry is and we'll be ready for that game."
Question: Kentucky seemed to play with a lot of enthusiasm and teamwork. Have they started playing together as a team?
Coach Hall: "They were very unselfish tonight and they moved the ball well on the fast break. They were kicking it back out to the guards where we were getting good shooting and it all fitted together. That's what we're looking for. The only thing I didn't like was our offensive rebounding. We didn't go to the offensive boards as well as we should have. We played looser because the 1-3-1 zone got us playing looser. That aggressiveness carried over to our offense."
Question: James Lee passed up some potential dunk shots for easy lay-ups. Did his play please you?
Coach Hall: "Yeah, he played a smart ball game tonight and did a good job. Jack's second half looked much better than his first. He could have scored 100 if he had played the whole
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game like he did that one five- or six-minute spurt when he was getting out on the break and getting that short jumper. That's what we want from him, but you can't do that against everybody, though."
Question: Were you surprised how completely Kentucky dominated the game against Iona?
Coach Hall: "Yes, absolutely. It was absolutely beyond my hopes to dominate that team that way, especially after the first ten minutes when they caught up with us because I thought they looked outstanding. Iona came to play. They were picking us apart offensively early in the man-to-man. It wasn't that we were playing that poorly, but they just executed perfectly. The zone, though, just stymied them. They were very ineffective against our zone."
Question: In the last poll before Christmas, Kentucky received all the first place votes with the exception of one. Do you think that one expert's list will change after the Iona game?
Coach Hall: "I don't know if everyone else respects Iona as much as I did and I don't know if that will help us that much. But we weren't playing with that in mind. We just wanted to have a good game and we've now put two back to back. That's going to help us and them being two New York schools won't hurt us, either."
Question: How will these two big wins over New York schools affect your recruiting up in the East?
Coach Hall: "I don't really know. It can't do anything but help us overall. This team beat St. John's last year and the good win over St. John's, and playing so well will help us. Their scribes and media not only recognized that we beat them but that we played so well in doing it. That's even more important.''
Question: What about Lee going to the bucket, but not charging like last year?
Coach Hall: "He's a year older and possibly has learned his lesson. He's doing the smart thing and playing very well. They were beautiful plays when he went down the middle and hit those lay-ups. There were courageous. He was full speed but yet they were under control and he avoided the charge with the agility of a broken-field scatback. I don't see how he does it, but he handles 240 poinds about as easy an anyone you'll ever see. I wish it were 230 pounds. If I had ten off of James and ten on Freddie (Cowan), we'd be all right."